A Fond Farewell

Anbolyn is now hosting her own blog. Please visit her at A World in Themselves.

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

This was my book club book for October, but I've taken a while to post about it because I'm having a hard time writing about it. I've heard for many years how wonderful this book is and so I was anticipating an amazing read. Though I admired it and thought it was mentally stimulating, I was a tad let down. It's written by Viktor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist who was incarcerated in four different concentration camps during World War II. The first half of the book gives an account of his experiences and observation of life in a camp and how this experience effects human behavior. The second half of the book talks about his theories of psychology and how we can apply them to our lives. I feel almost blasphemous saying this, but I thought the book, especially the second half, was boring! I did glean some wheat from the chaff, but overall I didn't really enjoy reading this.

Booker Monday 10/18/10

I'm about half-way through Heat and Dust. It is a very easy, enjoyable, yet complex read. 

Here are some quotes from the author, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala:

"[India] is not a place that one can pick up and put down again as if nothing had happened. In a way it's not so much a country as an experience, and whether it turns out to be a good or bad one depends, I suppose, on oneself." 

"It was very easy to be a writer," Jhabvala says of her life as a housewife. "I'd think what to eat for the day, then tell the cook. I didn't like interruptions, but it didn't bother me having children around. It makes it easier when nothing's expected of you; you're just doing your 'hobby'." 

My Kindle

I've had my Kindle for almost three weeks now and I'm very pleased with it. I like reading on it - the screen is glare-free and clear and I am glad to be able to adjust the font as I am growing blind and need a larger font these days. It is so amazing to have 30 books on one slim little device that fits in your purse with ease. I have downloaded quite a few classics that I've always wanted to read - they are free if published pre-1923 - and have gotten pretty far along in Middlemarch. I see myself finishing it before the end of the year! The brilliance, for me, of reading thick classics on the Kindle is that you have no sense of how much text you have left to read. The Kindle does give page numbers and a percentage of how far along you are, but I am able to block that out and just enjoy the story. Therefore, I don't feel daunted with the length of the book and give up out of frustration as I tend to do with print novels. It took me a few months to decide to buy the Kindle and I am glad I purchased it. It is an ingenious little machine that might put me out of a job one day, but we can't stop progress can we?

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz

At work we've embarked on a little project to read 8-10 books that are candidates for the Caldecott, Newbery and Printz prizes, which are awarded by the American Library Association in January. The Night Fairy is one of the books that is on our Newbery list.

This is a charming and simple tale of a night fairy named Flory who is forced to become a day fairy when her wings are damaged. She encounters animals and birds she normally wouldn't meet, such as squirrels and hummingbirds, and embarks on several dangerous adventures that test her fortitude and lead her to adapt her lifestyle to her new situation. She is a sassy little creature and though not fearless, she stands up for herself despite her trepidation. I really liked that the author worked facts about animals and the natural world into the story and I also enjoyed the flowing, yet simple, language and the direct dialogue. Though I'm not sure it will win the Newbery award, it will probably win over the hearts of many young girls who are enchanted with fairies.

Other reviews:

A Year of Reading

Kids Lit

Booker Monday

I had to start a different Booker book this week as The Siege of Krishnapur had a hold on it at the library(can you imagine?) and we only have one copy in the system. I had to relinquish it. So, I started Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. This novel won the Booker Prize in 1975, and like The Siege of Krishnapur, is set in India. By the way, the Man Booker Prize for 2010 will be awarded tomorrow.

Booker Monday

I'm still reading The Siege of Krishnapur. I'm about partway through and the sepoys have attacked the English. There's lots of descriptions of how to fire a cannon and men getting their heads blown off with muskets. It is beautifully written and subtly humorous.

The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle

I saw this book in a publisher's catalog back in June and have been eagerly awaiting it ever since. The House of Dead Maids is, as it says on the cover, "the chilling prelude to Wuthering Heights". It mixes reality with fiction by having as its two main characters, Tabby Aykroyd, the real-life maid to the Bronte children and Himself, the boy we come to know as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.

Tabby is living in an orphanage when she is commissioned to be a maid by a Miss Winters and taken to live at Seldom House. Expecting to be waiting on Miss Winters, she is perplexed when her only occupation becomes keeping the cook company in the kitchen. She's forbidden from doing anything else until she learns she is to be the companion to a child, "the Master", who will arrive any day. When the Master arrives with a Mr. Ketch, she learns that he is not the true master of the house and doesn't even have a name. She refers to him as Himself in her mind and sets about trying to tame the wild gypsy child. In the evenings they are visited by the ghost of a dead girl and Tabby begins to suspect that something is very, very wrong at Seldom House. As time passes Tabby and Himself discover disturbing evidence of a secret ritual that their presence is crucial to completing. 

Dark and gothic, this novel had me turning its delicious pages with satisfaction. I love all things Victorian and gothic and I was not disappointed by this little gem. As an explanation to the history of Heathcliff it was adequate, but as a novel unto itself it was fantastic.

Booker Monday

I decided about a month ago to read all of the Booker Prize winners that we own at the library. I started reading The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell while I was in Springerville, but just haven't been able to finish. So I've decided that every Monday the only thing I'm going to read is my current Booker book. The Siege of Krishnapur was the fifth winner of this prize in 1973.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Room is on the short list for the Man Booker Prize which will be announced on October 12. I usually have trouble with the books nominated for the Booker as a lot of the time they seem completely inaccessible, although last year I read and loved two of the nominated books, The Children's Book and The Little Stranger. I can't say I loved Room, but it was definitely worth reading.

Ma was 19 when she was kidnapped and imprisoned by Old Nick. It's seven years later and she is surviving in an 11 x 11 room with her five-year-old son Jack. The novel is told from Jack's unique viewpoint, and we learn of their daily routines and efforts to break up the day and live a fulfilling existence. Jack sleeps in the wardrobe, as Ma doesn't want Old Nick having any interactions with her son. When Ma learns that Old Nick has been laid off she fears that he'll lose his house and will have to dispose of his captives. She proceeds to hatch an escape plan and uses Jack to rescue them. The last 2/3 of the novel depict their struggles living in the world and how they each have to find their own way of coping with their new lives. I loved the character of Jack and was constantly tickled by his observations. His interactions with his well-meaning relatives were painful and frustrating to read about, but his grandma was the key for him in learning to navigate "outside". Ma's struggles mainly take place off-stage, but we share Jack's fears for her and his longing to be reunited. Room is a cleverly written novel about a very serious subject. Readers will find Jack to be a fantastic narrator.

Other Reviews:
BookBath
Farm Lane Books Blog
Savidge Reads

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

Woods Runner is a short, yet powerful tale of one boy's race to rescue his parents, who are prisoners of the British during the Revolutionary War. Samuel lives with his parents in the forests of Pennsylvania where they live a peaceful life with several other villagers. Samuel is relied upon by the village to provide meat for them and has become an expert woods runner and hunter. One day while he is out hunting, tragedy strikes; his village is burned down and his parents are taken captive by British soldiers. Hot on their trail, Samuel is determined to save them. Along the way he encounters injury and savagery and unexpectedly becomes the guardian of a little girl named Annie. The tale follows Samuel all the way to New York City, where thousands of prisoners are living in dismal conditions. Interspersed with facts about the Revolutionary War and how people lived during this time period, I found Woods Runner to be fascinating and suspenseful. I would recommend this for fifth grade and up.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

I read this novel for my September book club meeting. Set during World War II and the 1980's, it moves back and forth relating the story of Henry, a Chinese boy who lives in Seattle. In 1942, just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Henry is a sixth grader who attends a predominately white prep school. Bullied and ostracized by his classmates, he is often mistaken for a Japanese student, until his father makes him wear an "I am Chinese" button on his coat. He works in the school cafeteria during lunch and one day a new student, Keiko, joins him. Keiko is Japanese and Henry is wary of befriending her because of his father's intense hatred for Japan. However, they quickly form a relationship and become fast friends. The novel then tells the story of Keiko's forced imprisonment in an interment camp in Idaho and Henry's desire to maintain their friendship while she is gone. We also learn of Henry's broken relationship with his parents, especially his father, because of his love for Keiko and his refusal to go to China to attend school. A heartbreaking tale of lost love and unfulfilled desires, it does have a somewhat sweet ending. It is truly bittersweet. I enjoyed reading about the experience of immigrants in Seattle during the '40's and I was pleased to realize that it is entirely clean with no swearing or sex.

Beastologist: Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers

Nate Fludd is a 10-year-old orphan whose parents perished in an airship accident in the Arctic. Sent to live with his adventurous Aunt Phil, Nate learns that he comes from a line of beastologists. His family has studied supposedly mythical creatues such as basilisks and gremlins for generations. Shortly after arriving he and Aunt Phil embark on a trip to Arabia to witness the birth of a new Phoenix. Featuring strong character development and high adventure this new series would be perfect for third and fourth graders who like fantasy mixed with danger. Book two is The Basilisk's Lair.

It's Over

Well, I've already given up on my plan as discussed two days ago. I can't do plans! I just have to accept that I am a reading spaz and make the best of it. I prefer being led from book to book and reading whatever strikes my fancy. I checked out 4 junior fiction books today and am looking forward to escaping into children's lit for a few days. I tried. I failed. Oh well.

A New Plan

Even after trying to take control of my reading life, it is still a mess! So, I have formulated a new plan. I will only have 6 books on my plate at a time. These are the categories: 1 new YA, 1 classic YA, 1 new JF, 1 adult fiction, 1 adult NF and 1 church book. I can't start something new in a category until I've finished (or abandoned) the current one. I've revamped the sidebar to show what I'm reading now. I really need to stick with this plan because I am reading a lot and not finishing anything. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

Reevaluting My Reading

For a few months now, I've felt that I need to be more careful when choosing reading material. I am very much saddened by the amount of profanity, casual sex, violence and overall moral decay in most of today's literature. Recently, I was reading In the Woods by Tana French. By most standards it is a pretty tame murder mystery, but every time I picked it up I felt sick to my stomach and just KNEW I shouldn't be reading it. I finally decided to stop after I was about half-way through. The level of profanity in the novel was unacceptable and unnecessary.

A few days ago I watched a talk on the BYU channel given by the Young Women General Presidency at this year's Women's Conference. Titled "A Return to Virtue", Sister Dalton, Sister Dibb and Sister Cook presented a powerful case for LDS women to be examples of virtue to the world. Sister Dalton's talk, especially, really made me think about the movies, tv shows, music and books that I ingest. For the most part, I avoid movies and tv shows that are not virtuous, but since I live for books, I do end up reading far too many novels that don't meet my standards. I usually justify this as necessary for my job, but I don't really need to read all of the most popular novels. Just to know what they're about is enough, I believe.

This is all a round about way of saying that I am going to raise my standards for reading material from now on. I know I will miss out on a lot of "trendy" novels and, to be honest, it will be a sacrifice for me. Most of my life, I've read whatever I wanted. Now, I feel I must read books that will help me, or at least won't damage, my goal of being a virtuous woman. Will you join me in this endeavor?

Taking a Break

I've decided to take a break from reading young adult novels. I need maturity and no dystopian, future world, post-apocalyptic nonsense for a while! I'm craving good, solidly written, lyrical novels that I can somewhat relate to. I've also once again resolved to not buy any more books from Barnes & Noble. So, I'm taking advantage of BookMooch and recently put 500 books on my wishlist! I'll be reading whatever free books come my way from them. It will be very random and will probably expand my reading horizons. This week I received The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende, A Ship Made of Paper by Scott Spencer and Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. I have 18 more books coming my way. Now my only problem is where to put all of them! I'll post my recent Savers finds later this week.

Grave Series

I just read the first three books in the Grave Series by Charlaine Harris. I like them better than the Sookie Stackhouse books in some ways, and less in others. It seemed kind of like the same book three times in a lot of ways. It talks about how they like to get in, do the job, then get out, but three cases in a row they get stuck there until the case gets solved. It always goes on and on about their reluctance and how they want to get out of town. But, they were much cleaner than the Sookie Stackhouse books. Only the third one was a bit graphic. I would like to read the fourth one if I can get a hold of it. Sorry this is a short review. I know both Niesa and Anbo have read these so I didn't see much need for synopsis, just my opinion. And I am in a bad mood today so I probably would not be able to say anything good anyway.

Quote I Like

"Books speak even when they stand unopened on the shelf. If you would know a man or woman, look at their books, not their software." - Annie Proulx

 What does it say when you go to visit someone at their home and discover that they have no books?

Oprah's 2010 Summer Reading List

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Summer-Reading-List-Summer-Books